A new survey, released Tuesday, found that just 1 in 6 adults said a health professional had ever discussed drinking with them.

Written by

Kim Painter
| Special for USA Today

Most adults, including binge drinkers and pregnant women, say they have never been asked about their drinking by a doctor or other health professional, new survey data show.

It's time for that to change, say officials with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Drinking alcohol has a lot more risks than many people realize," CDC Director Thomas Frieden said. "In the same way we screen patients for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, we should be screening for excess alcohol use and responding effectively." ...